Rubber heel



March 15, 1949. MQQDY 2,464,251

RUBBER HEEL Filed Oct. 24, 1946 I N VEN TOR.

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.ATI'CIRNEYS Patented Mar. 15, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

My present invention relates to an improved heel and more particularly to the structure embodied in the elements of the heel of my invention wherein the durability of the heel is increased without increasing the discomfort nor mally attending hard heels, and at the same time presenting a heel structure enhanced in appearance.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of my invention according to the best mode I have thus far devised but it will be understood that various changes and alterations may be made in the exemplified structure within the scope of the appended claim.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a portion of a shoe showing the heel of my invention mounted thereon.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the heel.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the resilient rubber insert ring.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like characters indicate like parts I have illustrated the heel of my invention as associated with a shoe sole 2 of conventional structure and design.

The heel comprises a case 4 preferably of a hard durable material as plastic formed with holes therein through which the nails 5 extend to secure the case of the sole. The plastic case may obviously be of different colors to match the upper of the shoe and as is usual in plastics the color is incorporated into the material and thus will not peel or become scratched. This case of usual heel shape is formed with a hollow center bore 6, and a flange 8 overhangs the circular center bore along the bottom thereof.

A contact pad l0 preferably of hard rubber, circular in shape is of a diameter slightly less than the inner diameter of the flange 8, and this pad is formed with a central bore 12 and a pcripheral flange l4 within the flange 8 and coacting therewith to prevent the separation of the case and the pad. The case and the pad fit snugly however, and only suflicient clearance is provided to permit the relative movement of the pad.

Within the heel and spaced between the inner face of the pad and the outer face of the sole 2, I employ a resilient soft rubber ring 16 of considerably less diameter than the bore of the case, and this ring is formed with outer peripheral lug or projection l8 abutting the inner wall of the case bore.

It will be apparent that in walking the contact pad of the heel assembly will engage the ground or the floor pressing upwardly against the soft rubber ring which will become compressed and thereby partially absorb the shock of the contact of the pad with the ground, and the entire shock will not be transmitted to the sole of the shoe and thence to the wearer. A greater freedom of compression for the resilient ring is afforded in the use of a ring substantially smaller than the bore in which it lies, and shifting of the smaller ring within the bore is prevented by means of the lug abutting the surface of the bore.

From the above description of the heel assembly of my invention it will be obvious that a more durable and better looking heel will result from the use of my invention and at the same time the shock of contact of the heel with the ground will be partially absorbed in the heel and the transmittal of the shock to the person wearing the shoe will be lessened.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A heel comprising a hollow case fixed to a shoe, a pad protruding from the case and movable relative thereto, interengaging flanges on the case and pad, a resilient ring in the hollow case of lesser diameter than that of the bore of the case, and a peripheral lug on the ring abutting the inner wall of the bore.

HOWARD H. MOODY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 554,988 Cushing Feb. 18, 1896 631,683 Swan Aug. 22, 1899 968,434 Taillefer Aug. 23, 1910 

